


The Nein, The Sapphire, and the Ruby

by elizabethemerald



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26825485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethemerald/pseuds/elizabethemerald
Summary: Lord Robert Sharpe has grown tired of waiting for the perfect moment to take his revenge on Jester Lavorre for embarrassing him. So he makes the mistake of targeting something very precious to the Mighty Nein, a precious Ruby.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre & Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea, Jester Lavorre & The Mighty Nein, Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 21
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

The tower of the Xhorhaus echoed with the sounds of laughing and splashing. At the base of the tower the Mighty Nein relaxed in their hot tub, after their long stint in the frozen north, they relished the warmth. 

Beau, Caleb, Jester, Fjord and Yasha all soaked in heat, the water up to their chests. Veth sat on the steps into the hot tub, the water only up to her hips. Caduceus walked around the others, his pants rolled up to his knees while he served them sandwiches and tea. Beau was laughing loudly, as Fjord regaled them all with a story when Caleb suddenly sat bolt upright. 

"Everyone shut up!" He said, then stared off into space. The rest of the Nein recognized the look of someone receiving a magical message. The voice of Yussa, their Archmage friend from Nicodranas filled Caleb's head. 

"Mister Widogast, your party's presence is urgently required. Madame Lavoure requires your assistance at the Chateau. Awaiting your arrival at Tide Peak Tower. Arrive ready."

Caleb's eyes widened, he snapped his fingers at the others, and rose from the water as he responded to the sending. 

"We will teleport directly to the Chateau." He didn't bother to count his words or to add more than that. 

The rest of the Nein were already rising to their feet and exiting the hot tub, though at Caleb’s words they froze and multiple eyes flicked to Jester. 

"Your mother is in danger." Caleb said to her, then to the rest, "Grab your things and meet me in the entrance way." 

Fjord and Veth immediately dashed up the stairs to their rooms to grab their things. Caduceus set down the tea things and followed at a slower but still brisk pace. Yasha’s sword was never far from her, even when she was relaxing, but she still hurried to her room to grab her armor. Beau watched the frozen Jester for a moment before putting on a burst of speed with a shout that she would grab Jester’s armor and weapons from their room. 

The shout startled Jester into motion. She threw her clothes on as she wove her hands in the air, pink sigils following her fingers as she wove the spell for her own sending. 

"Momma? Are you ok? Are you in danger?" For once she didn't try to fill the word count. She waited desperately for a few seconds before looking in a panic to Caleb who was throwing on his own clothes, fortunately he carried his spell books with him always. "She's not responding!"

Jester grabbed her symbol to the Traveler and began weaving another spell. Caleb finished putting on his jacket in time to watch her finish the spell. For a second he thought she was trying to send another message, but this spell was longer, more intense than a simple sending spell. He gasped in horror as she blinked out of existence right before his eyes. 

“Nein! Jester!” He shouted, far too late, then dashed into the entrance hall and shouted into the rest of the house. “Jester cast Sanctuary! We need to go! Now!”

He watched as Beau jumped on one foot trying to put her other boot on, her other hand full of Jester’s weapons and armor. Fjord and Yasha were working to buckle their armor in place. They were taking too long. Jester was there now! By herself, facing who only knew what. Caleb squeezed the clay turtle in his hands for a moment, before making a snap decision. 

Caleb gave the turtle another squeeze, then felt the jerk in his stomach as the Xhorhaus disappeared from view, a second later to be replaced with the dining room of the Lavish Chateau, and utter chaos. The tables were flipped and chairs strewn around the room. The servants were screaming and running there was a small fire burning in one corner. He took all of this in with a glance as he looked for any foes, when a scream dragged his attention up the stairs. 

“Bluud!!” Jester screamed. Her Sanctuary was her bedroom upstairs, right next to where the Ruby lived. 

Caleb didn’t hesitate, casting Fly on himself and immediately soaring up to upper floor where the scream had come from. If the lower floor had been chaotic, then he wasn’t sure he had an appropriate word to describe what was happening here. The landing was packed to the rails with armed and masked men, each carried short swords or bows. Some were already laying wounded or dying on the ground. 

Bluud, Marian’s minotaur body guard roared in pain, more than a dozen slash marks covered his hide, while as many arrows stuck out from his body. He had a small stack of bodies around him, but was quickly being overwhelmed. 

Floating in the air above him was Jester’s spectral lollipop. This one was jagged and serrated and already coated in gore. Caleb took only a moment to spot Jester. She grabbed one of the men’s face and screamed at him, inflicting wounds. The man’s blood vessels in his neck and chest burst open then blackened and shriveled from the necrotic energy. 

Her scream sharpened in pain and rage as one of the sellswords slashed her. She tried to block the attack, but without her shield or armor, it carved across her arm. Frost and ice coalesced across her body before rocketing off and burying themselves in her assailant. He fell with a gurgle, but immediately another man was in his place. 

Caleb quickly ran through his spell repertoire. Most of his go-to offensive spells, polymorph, fireball, or wall of fire were too dangerous in the close quarters. Especially with Jester and Bluud in the fray. Instead he waved one hand over the other and multiple scorching rays flew from his hand blasting into the armed men. He specifically targeted those closest to Jester and Bluud to try and give them some breathing room. 

Before the smoke had even cleared the air was filled with hamster unicorns, as Jester cast Spiritual Guardians. The unicorns had sharp teeth and massive claws as they began tearing into the surrounding men. Her lollipop bashed into another sending him flying over the rail to the lobby below. 

Caleb barely noticed an arrow fired in his direction and cast shield on reflex. The arrow bounced off the armor and he unleashed another wave of scorching rays. As the cinders of men fell to the ground, he struggled to overcome the memories that tried to flood his mind. He knew he was falling, when suddenly the screaming in his head was drowned out by a scream from the door behind Bluud. 

"Momma!" Jester screamed. 

Jester’s scream tore through Caleb's mind, bringing the world back to a laser focus. Jester dashed past Bluud, tapping him on the shoulder, green energy closing some of his wounds. Caleb landed right behind her and flung some iron filings into the air and the minotaur suddenly towered over the few remaining men even more. Caleb pushed into Marion's room as Bluud roared, then froze bumping into Jester. 

"Take another step and the Ruby dies!"

Marion Lavorre stood in the center of the room, her eyes wide with fear. Behind her stood a man, better dressed than any of the others, with a knife held to her throat. He was clearly the leader, if anyone knew who had hired them to attack the Chateau it would be him. 

Caleb mentally ran through his spell list again. Magic missile would be able to avoid hitting Jester’s mother, but disintegrate would ensure this scum died and never threatened Marion again. 

"We're just here for the blue tiefling." The man snarled. "Surrender and no one else needs to get hurt." 

Jester stiffened. Caleb stepped up behind her, trying to reassure her with his presence. This wasn't her fault he wanted to say, but this wasn't the time. He didn't let his eyes leave the man using her mother as a shield. 

A single drop of blood, dripped down Marion’s scarlet skin from the knife at her throat. Jester bared her fangs in rage, but before she could do anything Marion growled in what Caleb recognized as Infernal. The man was suddenly engulfed in crimson flames, he fell back shouting and patting at the flames. 

Jester raised her hand immediately and a bell sounded, a deep resonate clang, and blood poured out of his ears and eyes. Before he could recover Caleb pulled a cricket from his pocket and waved it in the air and the man collapsed to the ground snoring. 

Marion slumped to the ground away from the man, a sob rocking her form. Jester flew to her side, wrapping her in her arms.

"Its ok momma. Its ok. Your Jester is here." Jester whispered softly into her mother's red hair. 

Caleb pulled some string from his pocket and tied the sleeping man's wrists, then quickly cleared the rest of the Ruby's apartment. When he was sure there were no more threats within her quarters he jerked the front door open fire whirling at his fingertips. However it appeared the giant sized Bluud had taken care of the rest of the assailants. 

Before too long the rest of the Nein arrived. Caduceus had used his sanctuary spell to bring the rest of them to the lighthouse. Beau got there first, putting on a quite frankly inhuman display of speed as she raced to the Chateau. The rest weren't far behind her. 

With the Nein around them and Jester’s mother in her arms Caleb breathed out for what felt like the first time since he had received Yussa's message. 

* * *

With the full power of the Mighty Nein gathered together, the first priority was ensuring Marion’s safety. She was escorted by the Nein to Tide Peak Tower. All of them had their weapons drawn and ready, spells sparking at their finger tips. When she and Bluud were safe in the tower a few things immediately became apparent. 

First off, it was obvious that the local Zhelezo had been paid off or distracted so that no one would respond to the attack at the Chateau. They encountered no guards as they walked her to Yussa’s tower, and the wizard himself had to message the local division into investigating the attack and protecting the staff of the Chateau. 

Secondly they found that Yeza and Luc had been visiting with Marion when the attack had started. Marion had snuck the two of them down a servant’s stair and told them to run to the Open Quay, after all of Jester’s stories she knew Yussa was an ally. He was able to protect the two halflings and message Caleb. He then sealed his tower and prepared for further assault just in case. 

Finally, who ever had orchestrated this was filthy rich. The amount of money it would cost to pay off that many guards, to start fires around the city to draw even more of their attention, and to pay for the sellswords to attack a well known establishment in the middle of the day, was more than the Nein had seen in all their days of adventuring. 

Eventually they had Marion safe in the tower. Bluud, after a significant healing from Caduceus, insisted on staying by her side while she rested from her ordeal. Caleb had, at Jester’s insistence cast his own magical mansion, so she was double protected by magical barriers and could rest comfortably in Jester’s bedroom. Yeza and Luc stayed in Caleb’s tower as well. Partially to be near Marion if she needed any assistance. Partially to keep Luc out of the way for what would come after. 

* * *

The mercenary captain woke up, bound to a chair, and surrounded by grim faces. Yasha gently rested Skin Gorger against his shoulder. Fjord had the Star Razer against his other side. Small flesh eating beetles crawled all over him from Caduceus’ staff and Veth kept her cross bow aimed at him the whole time. Beau cracked her knuckles and Caleb allowed fire to dance across his fingers. As the mercenary awoke, the room quickly filled with the stench of fear and urine. 

“Let me make our position very clear.” Caleb said stepping forward now that he was awake. “You have attacked someone who is very dear to us. In doing so you have committed an unspeakable mistake.”

Beau stepped up next. “We have a lot of different ways to make you talk. Truth spells, my Cobalt knuckles. Pain. We’ve got a lot of pain we can bring against you. So how about you spare us all of that, and just tell us. Who paid you?”

The man was sweating, his eyes wide. Yet still he clamped his jaw shut. Beau shrugged. 

“Have it your way.” She cocked her fist back, but froze as a blue hand hand fell onto her shoulder. She stepped back as Jester stepped forward. 

Unlike the stern looks on the face of the rest of them, Jester wore a bright smile. If Caleb didn’t know her, he would say she was completely at ease. However he could see the cold fury, raging in her eyes underneath her mask. The man pulled back as she stepped up to him, unnerved by his quarry smiling at him like that. 

“You hurt my momma.” Jester said. Her voice was soft as she dragged a finger along his chin. Green magic healed his wounds, and he took a deep breath, even more surprised. “I don’t like it when people hurt my momma.”

Jester dug her nails into the man’s chest and the veins around her fingers blackened and burst, and the skin withered and died. He screamed in pain, Jester’s smile never left her face, now looking more demented then truly joyful. 

“Lord Sharp!” The man gasped out, agony heavy on his words. “We were paid by Lord Sharp.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ruby of the Sea is safe. Now, the Sapphire of the Nein has to way her actions.

“What was your plan?” Beau stepped forward, her threatening posture completely unnecessary as the man was still completely terrified of Jester. 

“Our plan was to scare the Ruby. We weren’t going to hurt her too badly. Just scare her, to lure that one back to the city, he wanted us to capture the Blue Tiefling.”

He nodded his head to Jester as she stepped back from him. Caleb stepped back with her, while Fjord and Beau took over the interrogation. The two of them left the room and walked together through Yussa’s tower. Jester didn’t say anything until she found herself outside the closet where Caleb had cast his tower. She stared idly at the cat statue and wand sitting at the base of the closet. 

“Jester. Are you-” Caleb started. 

“I’m just fine Cay-leb.” Jester interrupted with a bright smile even as she wiped tears from her eyes. 

“Talk to me Blueberry.” Caleb said softly. 

“He hurt my momma because of me.” Jester said, more tears rolling down her cheeks. “I played a prank and Sharpe attacked my momma.”

Caleb snapped his fingers and Frumpkin appeared to weave around Jester’s ankles. She immediately picked up the fey cat and pressed her face into his fur to hide her tears. Caleb stood with his hands at his sides for a moment, unsure what else to do to try and comfort her. 

“What happened today is not your fault. You must know that Jester. Lord Sharpe is a cruel and arrogant man.”

“I know that Cay-leb! He’s a dick and he’s just awful, but he hurt my momma because I pulled another prank on him!!”

Jester sobbed even louder, and put Frumpkin back on the ground. She threw her arms around Caleb’s narrow shoulders, pressing her face against his neck. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping her in a some what awkward embrace. He felt out of his depth. He felt he usually left the comforting to one of the other members of the Nein or to his cat. 

“Your momma is safe. And we’re going to make sure she stays safe. After we’re done with Sharpe no one will dare threaten her again.” This was a promise Caleb could keep. 

Jester pulled away, looking again at the doorway to Caleb’s tower. 

“I hurt him.” She gasped out. Caleb looked around in confusion. Was she talking about Lord Sharpe? After a moment Jester continued. “What I did to that guy, what you and Beau were willing to do to him. It was too much like what the Iron Shepards did to me.”

Caleb stepped back, floored by that admission. He hadn’t even thought about that. The nature of his memory was that he could still remember every detail of that dungeon. The stink of fear and rot. The implements used to torture children, and chains to keep them helpless. He could remember the bruises and marks he had seen. And worse, he could remember the exact appraising look he had given that dungeon. Compared their tools to the ones that had been used on him when he was a child under Ikithon. Compared the marks they left to the ones on his own body. Compared the rank stink of fear to his own wild fear of falling back into his one time master’s hands. 

He stepped forward and grabbed Jester in a tight hug. This may be the first time he had been the one to initiate a hug between the two of them, but she needed it now. She needed comfort, not the reminder of what she had gone through before they could rescue her. So he held her tight, her knees grew weak and they slumped to the floor. 

“I want to make Sharpe pay.” Jester whispered. “I want him to suffer, for even thinking he could hurt my momma.” She was quiet for a long moment. “But we can’t torture him like that. I can’t… you can’t… We aren’t like that. We don’t hurt people like that.”

A sound from below them brought them both to their feet. Jester quickly wiped her eyes and picked up Frumpkin again. Soon the rest of the Nein joined them. 

“We got we can out of that piece of shit.” Beau declared as they arrived, then stopped short when she saw the two of them. “Jes, are you-?”

“I’m perfectly fine Beau.” Jester interrupted for the second time. Beau and the other more observant members of the Nein were quick to catalog Jester’s red eyes, the tip of her nose showing a hint of purple, the tear marks on Caleb’s white shirt, and the fact that Jester was currently cuddling Frumpkin tightly to her chest, but none of them commented on it. 

“Yussa has the information we need.” Beau said. She spoke slower than normal, keeping a close eye on Jester while she did. “We’re going to lead a squad of Zhelezo to arrest Sharpe. We need to go now before he has a chance to leave the city, or pull some stunt.”

“Go on ahead guys.” Jester said. “I want to stay here with momma, make sure she is ok and safe.”

“But Jester-” Veth grabbed for her hand. “Don’t you want to get revenge?” 

“I want to stay here with my momma.” Jester repeated, more adamantly. 

Caleb gestured to the closet and the door into his tower opened for her. She stepped up to it, her back straight, even as her tail curled tightly around her ankle. 

“Jester, would you like me- s-someone to stay behind with you?” Caleb wasn’t sure why he offered. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. 

“No.” She sounded sure when she said that. “Go arrest Sharpe. And Caleb-?”

Jester hesitated, unable to ask the question on her mind, but Caleb could see it, could guess what she couldn’t say. He nodded without bringing it up. No matter how much he might deserve to be punished. Lord Sharpe was not to be tortured. At least not by the Mighty Nein. They weren’t like that. They didn’t hurt people like that. 

“Ah. Could you hold onto Frumpkin for me?” He asked her instead. “We don’t know quite what to expect with Sharpe’s estate and I would rather know my cat was safe.”

“Of course Cay-leb.” Jester gave him a small genuine smile, before stepping into the tower entrance. 

Once Jester was within Caleb’s tower, standing in the middle of the entrance way with its nine windows showing the schools of magic she took a deep shuttering breath and began to float up through the tower. It didn’t take her long to find the room Caleb had created for her. She entered her apartment’s sitting room to find her mother, Luc and Yeza. Marion took one look at her daughter and without hesitation opened her arms. Jester ran into them and held her momma as tightly as she could. 

They cried together, mother and daughter, Ruby and Sapphire, for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes. They summoned some of Caleb’s cat servants. Some just to bring food. Some to cuddle and play with. Jester took Luc into her painting room and together they began to cover the blank walls. Her momma sat and watched them paint, while Yeza would lift Luc up to reach a high spot on the wall. 

Jester, of course, wasn’t used to waiting on the side lines while her friends fought, so she used multiple Scry spells to check up on them to make sure they were alright. She watched as her friends walked at the head of a small group of Zhelezo through the streets of Nicodranas. She saw Caleb’s Cat’s Ire tear down the gate to the Sharpe Estate. A moment later with spells flying targeting Sharpe’s mercenaries, Yasha bamfed out her wings, picked up Beau and together they flew up to the second floor and crashed through a window into Sharpe’s office. 

The next time she scried the fight was basically finished. Sharpe was unconscious, Beau and Yasha standing over him while Fjord and Veth dealt with the last of the mercenaries. Caduceus and Caleb focused their efforts on some second rate wizard Sharpe had hired, but he wasn’t a match for either of them. 

After that, they had Sharpe in chains. The Zhelezo were scouring the estate and interviewing different members of the Nein about what had transpired. In the background Veth was picking the lock on a safe hidden behind Sharpe’s desk. She watched as one of the city guards aimed a vicious kick at Sharpe, only to be stopped by Caleb. He gave the guard a firm but quiet shake of his head. 

Finally she scried on her friends and found them walking up the stairs in the Tide Peak Tower. She flew down to meet them, polymorphing into a hawk (pale blue of course) to move even faster. She hugged each of her friends tightly in turn, using what few remaining spells she had to heal any small injuries they sustained. 

Her friends… her family… The Mighty Nein reconvened inside Caleb’s tower. They had dinner together, again laughing and telling jokes, keeping the mood light. Caleb stayed quiet for most of the night, only giving small smiles, seemingly lost in thought. They were tired, but they felt confident that no one else would dare threaten the Ruby of the Sea again. 

When dinner was over, Marion sang for them. A private concert just for them. Jester blinked away tears as her momma sang, her beautiful voice, perfectly suited for the magical tower. While she sang Caleb used his few remaining spells to create illusions and light effects around her, just like he had done on Rumblecusp. 

Eventually it was time for them to go to sleep. To rest and recover from the injuries and the terror of the day. To regain spells so that tomorrow they could do a little more to leave the world a better place. Marion was offered the guest bedroom but declined in favour of sharing a room with her daughter. 

RIght before Jester went into her room to sleep for the night, she grabbed Caleb into a tight hug. 

“Thank you Caleb.” She whispered, then pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. She left him there blushing up to his ears and gently closed the door.

Please imagine that sometime later, the former Lord Robert Sharpe is rotting in a prison, and word of what he tried to do reaches a certain seedy pub in Zadash. The Mighty Nein are not torturers, but that doesn't mean that Sharpe isn't going to get some visits from Associates of the Gentleman, who offer "Many gifts," to the fallen lord. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an important note for this story. I fundamentally don't believe that Jester would be ok with the Nein Torturing someone after what she, Fjord and Yasha went through. But I also feel like there are lines she would be willing to cost to make up for someone hurting her mother. Like think about what happened the last time someone messed with the Ruby of the Sea? However I feel like (and this may just be my interpretation of the character) if she crossed that line with Sharpe the decision would haunt her later. That's why she stayed back, so she wouldn't be tempted. I hope that makes sense and comes across in the story.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! Let me know what you think!!


End file.
